I spent three months in Spain with my friend Vat to learn Spanish by not speaking English. At all. Discover what happened and how you can do it, too.
How Do You Learn a New Language, Without Forgetting the Old One?
When learning additional languages, it’s not uncommon to switch between them involuntarily. Discover how to refocus and stop switching.
Should I Have Done the MIT Challenge Over 4 Years?
One critique I got of the MIT Challenge was that I should have taken the classes over the normal four years, instead of twelve months. The naïve version of this critique was to argue that I should do the classes the way MIT students do—full time over a period of four years. But this criticism […]
Bold Moves are Often Easier than Small Ones
How often do you floss your teeth? Flossing is a habit generally recommended by dentists that takes an incredibly small amount of time and effort each day. Then why do so many people not do it? Is it because these people have made a careful cost-benefit analysis and decided the two minutes wasn’t worth their […]
I'm a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, podcast host, computer programmer and an avid reader. Since 2006, I've published weekly essays on this website to help people like you learn and think better. My work has been featured in The New York Times, BBC, TEDx, Pocket, Business Insider and more. I don't promise I have all the answers, just a place to start.